A 90-year-old collection of hand-carved wooden taonga will now be protected thanks to a new roof on Owae marae's wharenui.
Trustee of Manukorihi Pā Reserve Trust, Anaru White. Photo: New Plymouth District Council
The old, leaky roof was replaced after a $55,000 grant from the New Plymouth District Council Marae Development Fund.
Trustee Anaru White said the marae relies on whānau support and the funding boost is a great help.
"We rely purely on volunteers to sustain, maintain, and, you know, look after other whānau, look after manu here as well, and we know at times people were busy and the cost of things. We just need that little boost to help us."
He said the funding reinforced the hard work whānau had done over the years.
Owae, the central marae for Te Atiawa iwi, is managed by the Manukorihi Pā Reserve Trust charity.
White said it played a valuable role as a social and cultural hub in the Waitara community and beyond.
The new roof will protect the treasured woodwork in the main meeting house, Te Ikaroa-a-Māui wharenui, after the old roof had started to let in the elements.
